People's Democracy
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
No.
14
April 04, 2010
|
Vol. XXXIV
No.
14 April 04, 2010 |
REMEMBERING
COMRADE EMS
Central and Kerala Budgets:
Glaring Contrast in Approach
Pinarayi Vijayan
COMRADE
E M S Namboodiripad
was a legendary Marxist leader
and a
great theoretician of enormous stature who had correctly analysed
concrete
situations with rational approach. Twelve years have passed after the
demise of
the great �adopted son of the working class� on .... Comrade EMS had
made
outstanding contribution in applying Marxism-Leninism to Indian
conditions.
Such political interventions were not confined to the perimeter of our
nation
alone. His vigorous concern in evaluating even minute developments in
the
international communist movement and explain them to the common masses
made the
people of Kerala to properly identify with such international issues. His talent to analyse any issue by evaluating
its inter-relations and development and explain them with such
uncomplicated
method had truly helped in the political education of the working class
movement of our country. No topic was away from his reach and
intervention.
Comrade EMS was undoubtedly a great genius contributed by Kerala to the
whole
world. His charismatic role is obvious in all realms of contemporary
Kerala
life, including that of political, social and cultural spheres.
Comrade
EMS Namboodiripad
was born in a famous feudal
family at a
time when feudal landlordism was the order of the day. He began his
public
career by intervening in the unbending struggles of the social reform
movement.
He started his political life as a Congress man and subsequently joined
the
Congress Socialist Party and finally became a Communist. He was a
member of the
first Communist group formed in Kozhikkode. During 1933, and 1938-40 he
had
worked as the secretary of the KPCC. And subsequently he had joined the
Communist
Party that had been organised secretly. He was always in the foremost
leadership of the CPI(M) since its formation in 1964. He worked as the
general
secretary of the CPI(M) for a long period. He continued to be a member
of the
Polit Bureau and Central Committee of the Party till his last breath.
Throughout his political life Comrade EMS had consistently fought
against all
deviations and alien trends, including right reformism and left
sectarianism.
He stood as a disciplined cadre till his last breath.
HIS
IMPORTANT
ROLE
IN KERALA
In
order to materialise the perception of the �united Kerala�, Comrade EMS
had
provided his zealous leadership, both pragmatically and theoretically.
The
Party had assigned him the responsibility to head the first government
in
Kerala. Such experience of heading a state government in a bourgeois
system by
a Communist Party has never existed before and thus for the whole Party
it was
a first experience. While successfully prevailing over quite a few
difficulties, he had successfully provided leadership to lay down the
foundation for the overall � social, economic and educational �
development of
Kerala. Comrade EMS even during his last days was very keen about the
future
development of Kerala at a time when imperialist globalisation poses a
threat
to the life and livelihood of the common masses. And hence the
International
Congress on Kerala Studies and the People�s Campaign for the Ninth Plan
were
evolved under such circumstances. Such initiatives were extremely
important in guiding
the activities of the present-day Party.
The
CPI(M) and the LDF government in Kerala presently strive to implement
zealously
the perception of alternative development that Comrade EMS had
initiated. While
the State attempts to divide the unity of the people, EMS had time and
again
underlined that it is the responsibility of the working class movement
to get
them united. The development concept of the People�s Plan was initiated
with
such a perspective. While initiating such developmental activities, he
was of
the firm opinion that issues related to downtrodden sections must be
given
primary and premier importance. At the same time, even under such
limitations
posed by the neo-liberal policies, he strongly advocated use of all
possibilities for an alternative to such anti- people policies.
The
recent budget of the Kerala government was prepared with such an
outlook. A
comparison of the Kerala and the central budgets can easily make a
distinction
on how differently the state and centre governments perceive the
concept of
development.
Even
though agriculture has vital significance in our economy, the UPA
government
frequently shows apathy and gives minuscule importance to it. Growth
rate in
agricultural sector has registered an unprecedented decline during this
period.
Considering this hard reality, the central government should have
increased
budgetary allocation to agriculture sector.
Unfortunately the central budget cut down even the very limited
subsidy
provided for agriculture. Such policies will undoubtedly pose serious
threat to
our food security in the near future itself.
In
Kerala, agricultural sector registered a steady growth mainly as a
result of
serious intervention of the LDF government. The state government
increased the
investment in agriculture sector in the budget by more than 50 per
cent. A
comprehensive perspective to achieve food security has also been
proposed by
the state government in the budget.
STRENGTHENING
THE
PUBLIC SECTOR
The
Public Sector Units (PSUs) in our country have a vital role to
safeguard
self-reliance and sovereignty of our nation. While the global economic
crisis
has wreaked havoc on many developed economies, it is an irrefutable
fact that
the presence of PSUs in our country played an important role in
limiting this
impact on our economy. Again, it is alarming that the central
government stated
its commitment to privatise our PSUs. And hence the UPA government in
its
budget expects Rs 40,000 crore income by selling the shares of the
public
sector units! Unlike the UPA government�s policy to dismantle the PSUs,
in
Kerala the PSUs are gradually being made profitable and they contribute
to the
government exchequer and thus demonstrate an extremely different
picture.
During the present fiscal, such units have contributed Rs 200 crore to
the
government exchequer. While the central government dismantles PSUs, the
state
government allocates Rs 121 crore to set up eight new PSUs in the
state.
Another Rs 246 crore is being provided for revamping cottage and
small-scale industries.
And the budgetary support given for the coir industry is ever highest
in the
history of state.
While
the central government gradually withdraws its responsibility in
education by
systematic budget cuts, the state government consistently increases
budgetary
allocation for education. In the current fiscal, the state government
has hiked
the budget for education by 50 per cent. And for higher education, the
increase
amounts to 112 per cent! The Kerala budget seeks to ensure
infrastructure
development and allocated Rs 1058 crore to ensure drinking water for
all. It
also plans to accomplish the proposed
Even
though the question of global warming is widely debated, the central
government
miserably failed to address such questions. The state government, while
facing
financial constraints, still allocated Rs 1000 crore in its budget for �green fund� and this is hence
undoubtedly a historic move. While the central government completely
neglects
the welfare of women, the state government allocated Rs 620 crores in
the
budget for women�s welfare. It is very common that this vision in
intervening
in environmental and women issues will certainly be widely accepted.
AAM ADMI
SPARED
While
the central government earns its revenue by burdening the shoulders of
the poor,
the state government in contrast did not add any additional burden on
common
man. The central government had increased excise duty on petroleum
products,
which will directly hit the common people of our country. Same is the
case with
the way it restructured the income tax. In the central budget,
surcharges for
corporate houses are being reduced while demand for increasing the
states'
share in taxes is being denied. In this constrained fiscal scenario,
the state
government, while restraining from adding any burden on the poor,
enhanced
government revenue not by offering any concession, unlike the central
government, to the rich. And hence the state government successfully
implemented pro-people steps in the budget.
When
the state government is implementing such pro-people measures, the
central
government policies are in a way sabotaging them and depriving the
people from
reaping the real benefits of the state government policies. The UPA-II
government�s general framework is directed towards pro-rich and
anti-people
agenda. Many such instances can be quoted to depict such anti-people
and
pro-imperialist policies ushered in by the UPA-II government. The
questions
raised on the Nuclear Liability Bill are some among them. The Bill
affirmed an
upper limit of around Rs 2200 crore as liablity if a nuclear calamity
took
place. And for foreign nuclear companies such liability is as paltry as
Rs 500
crore. As per the bill the decision of the Claim Commissioner is
binding and
cannot be questioned by victims. And a time frame of 10 years is also
provisioned in the Bill for a calamity which may cause severe genetic
tribulations even after. The India-US nuclear deal and its subsequent
Liability
Bill are unequivocally geared to serve the
REAL
TRIBUTE
Comrade
